Event: Big West Conference Championships
Where: Matador Track – Northridge, Calif.
When: Friday, Saturday all-day
Who to watch: Ben Johnson can be the wild card for this year’s Big West Conference Championships.
The senior from San Diego, Calif. recently returned from a two-year layoff after sustaining injuries to his knee and Achilles tendon requiring rehab and therapy.
Men’s coach Jon Vochatzer sees this as a pivotal time for Johnson.
“This is the last race of his career,” Vochatzer said. “The guy has got unbelievable talent. He’s the kind of guy who will always take care of business on the track. He’s focused. I don’t know what he is going to do, but I guarantee you that he’ll do something.”
Did you know? The Aggies will take part in the Big West Conference Championships for only the third time.
In their first and second years, the men finished seventh and second respectively.
Preview: A tiny misstep can mean the difference from reaching the finals, and going home empty handed.
Friday, the UC Davis track and field squads will head down to Northridge, Calif. to compete in the Big West Conference Championships.
Since joining the Big West, the Aggies have been posed a challenge to the other teams in their league.
“We stepped up then and we continue to force our competition to step it up,” Vochatzer said. “If we want to stay [competitive], we are going to have to step it up again.”
Deanne Vochatzer agrees.
“It’s a tough conference, and it’s gotten tougher,” she said. “We pushed this bar higher. A tenth of a second can mean the difference from one person getting into the finals, and three people getting into the finals. That’s important because you only score points in the finals.”
Though their entire season to this point has been dedicated to establishing good times and good marks, it’s now time for the track and field teams to come together to represent UC Davis.
“It’s time for toe to toe competition,” said women’s coach Deanne. “It’s time for team points, and it’s time for us to lay ourselves out there for Aggie pride, baby.”
– Matt Wang
